Thing is, most tankies don't even follow through, based on their own
premises. So, what does "the defeat of US imperialism" in Syria mean? Is
US imperialism occupying Syria? No, but it has been carrying out a
bombing campaign for 2.5 years in Syria, aimed mostly at ISIS, partly at
Nusra/JFS, and sometimes at other non-jihadist rebels, overwhelmingly in
support of the YPG/SDF.
Therefore, based on Socialist Action's premises, the prerequisite for
the Syrian masses to organise their own "class struggle forces" etc is
the defeat of the YPG/SDF by ISIS, which has been the main force in
conflict with US imperialism in Syria; and since Nusra/JFS has been the
overwhelming US target among the non-ISIS forces, it probably ought to
smash all the other rebels who have either not been hit by US strikes,
or have even received a few drips and drops of conditional US aid.
Does SA say this? Do they advocate ISIS thrashing the heavily US-backed
SDF? How else to "defeat US imperialism"? Yet, like most tankies and ...
"anti-imperialists," they don't. Only the Spartacists are consistent
tankies in that respect.
What is the use of berating others for supposedly "not understanding"
how centrally important is the defeat of US imperialism which supposedly
orchestrates everything, when almost none of them believe in it
themselves?
-----Original Message-----
From: David McDonald via Marxism
"The defeat of imperialist intervention is the prerequisite for the
Syrian
masses to organize their own independent class-struggle forces aimed at
fully meeting the needs and aspirations of Syria’s workers and farmers
as
they strive in the future to build a socialist society."
And the key word is "prerequisite". BEFORE the Syrians bother to try to
meet their own needs as aspirations, they must rid their country of US
imperialism. Russian imperialism, now, that's OK. Russia and Iran, which
are vastly more responsible for the continued survival of the Assad
regime
than the US, are not even mentioned in the statement.